Accidents can happen anywhere. Staff members at my local emergency room admitted that they see injuries each summer from a slippery granite area at one nearby playground. Certainly, German parents would agree with American ones that the world can be a scary place. But the prevailing wisdom here is that overprotecting children only makes it more, not less, dangerous for them; they need to learn to protect themselves. This extends beyond the playground. Six-year-olds are regularly sent to pick up breakfast rolls at the bakery on their own. Most children walk themselves to their neighborhood school.
This relaxed attitude toward child-rearing runs counter to the stereotype of Germans as uptight, but it’s true across the board. Children learn to read in first grade in Germany, and parents are not inclined to teach them earlier. Pressure is a dirty word. Playtime is key. Fresh air is everything. Playgrounds are full of children come rain or shine, even in winter, when the snowsuits are out in full force. And you will not see Berlin parents hovering over their little ones. No, they will be drinking coffee and reading the newspaper on a bench. That said, if a child does get hurt in a local playground, any nearby parent will rush to help. There is still, at least in my view, a strong collective sense of responsibility for children in German public spaces.
We played murderball with a taped up sponge the size of a softball. I got my first black eye playing that. The guy hit me so hard it took me off my feet.Murder Ball- War ball/Dodgeball with women size basketballs. You learned to keep your hear on a swivel. Our pe coach eventually changed to volleyballs which stung too.
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Meh ... rub some dirt on it. :wink:We played murderball with a taped up sponge the size of a softball. I got my first black eye playing that. The guy hit me so hard it took me off my feet.
We always called that pickup and smear. In elementary school we were not heavy enough to break bones and stuff just got a few cuts and bruises. One time when we got a little older we played tackle football and found out without pads a couple of guys got broken bones. The game didn't last long.Smear the word that rhymes with smear. If you don't know what this is I will explain. Basically everyone tackles the guy with the football.
The way some of kids are so sensitive red rover offends them.
That might have been what we called battle. Sounds pretty much the same. You could also throw in basketball, volleyball, and soccer the way we used to play. All were pretty much full-contact sports.Murder Ball- War ball/Dodgeball with women size basketballs. You learned to keep your hear on a swivel. Our pe coach eventually changed to volleyballs which stung too.
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I think we played that in PE using kickballs, which didn’t hurt much.Murder Ball- War ball/Dodgeball with women size basketballs. You learned to keep your hear on a swivel. Our pe coach eventually changed to volleyballs which stung too.
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